Sell-Outs
by Penthesilea1
Summary: Jaina and Jag are stranded on a backwater planet with no way to get off and the Peace Brigade breathing down their necks. Will they surive?
1. A Chance Encounter

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars or the New Jedi Order, or the characters within the following story. It is made in appreciation and enjoyment of what already exists. 

Author's Notes: I'm going to be sooooo flamed for this. I know half of you out there hate Jag Fel. Well, I like him, so flame away. This story takes place after the events of Edge of Victory I : Conquest, and stems from the obsession I have with Jag.

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"Sell-outs"

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Chapter One: A Chance Encounter

Space. Cold, black, and empty. Devoid of everything except the distant pinpoints of burning stars. Everything was silent.

Jaina Solo thought the environment suited her mood at the moment; grim, depressed and lonely. She was prevented by webs of politics and trickery from rejoining Rogue Squadron. Her mother and father working on a project for Luke, while her mother was still recuperating from the injuries sustained at the hand of the Yuuzhan Vong Warmaster, Tsavong Lah. Her uncle and aunt were who knows where, preparing for their child. Her brother Jacen was one of the most wanted human beings in the galaxy at the moment, in a great deal of danger, even with his mother and father. The Jedi were hunted, subjugated and harassed, after the Yuuzhan Vong's recent decree that they would give peace in exchange for the lives of the Jedi. In fact, the only thing that was keeping her upbeat was the recent victory acquired by her brother Anakin. To her starboard side floated the _Errant Venture_, the personal Star Destroyer of Booster Terrik, and currently the home of the young Jedi trainees rescued by Anakin at Yavin IV.

At least they were failing with her.

Jaina looked miserably around her once again, disappointed to find that what they were searching for had eluded them again. What was bothering her most was her lack of success in finding a location for another Jedi safe house, on the off chance the Vong discovered and attacked Eclipse or Shelter. She was nearly in the Unkown Regions now, slightly beyond the Imperial Remnant, a few hundred light years away from Adumar, the last known planet they had passed.

She started up her engines again, preparing to fly back to the docking bay on the _Venture_, when her sensors and warning tones started screaming through the cockpit. 

"R-4! What is it?" she asked worriedly, frantically flipping switches and arming her weapons system. 

Her astromech beeped and data scrolled across her screen. Twelve ships of unknown make, but similar to Imperial TIE fighters. A memory flashed through Jaina's head and when a hail tone sounded on her comlink, she picked it up warily, preparing to have her suspicions confirmed.

"Now what are the chances of this happening?" a familiar, confident male voice said in a mocking tone. "A lone Rogue, out on his own."

"Actually Colonel Fel, at this time I'm on leave from Rogue Squadron," Jaina said coolly. He always seemed so _arrogant_. "The chances are slim indeed."

"Lieutenant Jaina Solo," he stated, and Jaina was pleased to note just the slightest note of surprise in his voice.

Another voice came over the com at that moment and the voice was gruff and intimidating.

"May I ask who these friends of yours are Solo?" Booster Terrik asked shrewdly.

"Colonel Jagged Fel and Spike Squadron, a Chiss House phalanx," Jaina answered before Jag could answer something that Booster wouldn't like, "And he's also the nephew of Wedge Antilles."

She knew that would most definitely have some effect on Booster. The man had helped Wedge out as a teenager and considered him like a nephew.

"Wedge Antilles' nephew?" Booster voice had a mystified, but curious air to it, "And may I ask what you are doing here at this most opportune moment?"

There was some hesitation from Jag, and Jaina got the sense that he was communicating privately with his squadron. Finally when the answer came, Jag's words sounded serious and respectful.

"Sir, if you would permit it, I would request that we come aboard and talk face to face. There are matters that should not be discussed in the open."

There was a pause, but Booster agreed and fed them the coordinates for the docking bay. Jaina grimaced, it was the same as hers, which meant she was probably going to have to hang around _him_ for much longer than she had bargained for. Yet at least this would take them closer to finding a location in the Unknown Regions. Things were finally happening. 

"We are accompanying another ship, one with ambassadors to the Imperial Remnant, who the Chiss wish to talk to about the Yuuzhan Vong's… request and their standing towards it. What made us run into you, quite by chance, was the new equipment we were testing that senses gravity anomalies, such as the ones created by the Yuuzhan Vong's dovin basals. It detected the presence of the Star Destroyer and we pulled out to verify that you were not a Vong vessel," Jag Fel explained calmly a few minutes later in Booster's main conference room.

"I see," said Booster, his face betraying no feeling towards the Colonel's comments. "And now that you're here, what is _your_ opinion towards the Yuuzhan Vong requests.

Booster seemed menacing all of a sudden. After all, his son-in-law and his two grandchildren were Jedi, and if the Chiss or Jag were holding any anti-Jedi sentiments, there wasn't going to be anything more for them to talk about, besides down the barrel of a blaster.

Jaina kept her eyes on Jag. This was partly because he was far from unpleasant to look at and partly because she was eager to hear his opinion on the atrocities of the Yuuzhan Vong. He had glanced at her for a long moment on the way out of his ship when they had landed in the docking bay, but she hadn't been able to read his facial expressions. 

"Sir, I don't believe anything that the Yuuzhan Vong say about peace or truces. I've seen first hand the damage they can do when I was at Ithor. I don't trust them, and even if I did, I wouldn't turn the Jedi over to the Yuuzhan Vong," Jag Fel said decisively. 

Jaina smiled to herself. Jag could be arrogant, but he made up for it with his overall good sense.

Looking approvingly at Jag, Booster sat back in his chair, twirling his mustache and thinking. Finally he seemed to come to some conclusion in his head and leaned forward to speak to Jag.

Strangely however, it was Jag that spoke first.

"Sir, interestingly enough, it was very fortunate that we have found you. I would like to speak to you, however I request that everyone besides the Jedi and you leave this room."

Booster looked surprised, but he nodded his head and people filed hesitantly out of the room, leaving Jag, Booster, Jaina and Anakin. 

"This may come as a surprise to you, but my father's forces have decided that it's time to pick sides in this war. They've even offered to find a secret place to hide the Jedi," Jag explained carefully.

Jaina's eyes. Curiosity also stirred in her, wondering what had brought about the changewidened in surprise and she felt her heart beat faster. This was what she had been trying to accomplish in the past few months! But with her elation came some different emotions. Suspicion first, because it seemed so unbelievable. Of course, through this she would undoubtedly be in the company of Jag Fel more often, but depending on how they both choose to act, it wouldn't be so bad. If she looked past his cocky exterior, she might find a much needed friend.

Booster had seemed just as shocked, she'd felt it through the Force, but she didn't see any signs of it on his face. He was calm and calculating as he considered Jag's offer.

"I'm not in a position to be making decisions for the Jedi. However, I can arrange for you to meet with Mara Jade-Skywalker, Luke Skywalker and my son-in-law Corran Horn. I don't think that the meeting could occur right away, as they are all at various points in the galaxy, so you'll have to wait here for a week, maybe more. Is your squadron able to go on without you?"

Jag nodded solemnly.

"Well then. I'll let Jaina find you some quarters," Booster said jovially.

Jaina looked up, startled, with a confused look on her face.

"Well," shrugged Booster, "He's your friend."

Jaina rolled her eyes and the corners of Jag's mouth seemed to come up in a slight smirk.

_Oh yeah_, she thought, _Flyboy and I, we're _great_ friends._


	2. Frustrations

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Chapter Two: Frustrations

"So, why are you on leave from Rogue Squadron?" Jag asked curiously as he and Jaina walked down the hallway where most of the Jedi spent their time.

Jaina frowned, "Politics. Well, actually it started when I was with them, fighting out on the Corellian Trade Spine, near Rodia. A ship blew up right in front of me, and I had to go EV. Next thing I know, I woke up in a bacta tank, blind, sore and barely able to see my hand in front of me. So they sent me to my Dad, who was working on this refugee thing at Duro."  
She briefly recounted the events that had taken place at Duro, ending with the fight between Jacen and Tsavong Lah and his "peace" offer.

Jag whistled when she was done.

"You seem to get into a lot of trouble, don't you?" he asked, an amused, but concerned smile on his face.

Jaina laughed and shot him a grin.

"More than you can imagine," she assured him.

"Oh?" said Jag, but didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he replied, "So you can't go back to Rogue Squadron yet because you're a Jedi."

" 'Yet' being the keyword," Jaina said pointedly. She didn't intend to be out of Rogue Squadron any longer than she had to.

"Well," said Jag, after a small silence, "One more reason to hate the Vong, I suppose."  
Jaina's face turned serious and she nodded. At that moment, they reached the room she decided would be his. It was across the hall from hers, recently vacated when Corran Horn had left.

"Well, here you are," she said, stopping and punching in the access code so that he could see what it was. He went in ahead of her and she followed to make sure that the room was in good shape. Done inspecting it, he turned around to face her.

"It's good to see you again Jaina," Jag said, gazing directly into her eyes so that she could see he was being sincere.

Against her will, Jaina found her heart was beating a bit faster. She swallowed and broke eye contact. She had always been a sucker for green eyes.

She smiled, "It's good to see you too Jag."

And with that she turned to walk across the hall to her room.

Jaina flopped onto her bed with a frustrated sigh and closed the door to her room with the Force. At the moment, she didn't think a little trivial usage was that bad. She was angry with herself. She was angry with herself because she had promised herself when she had met Jagged Fel at Ithor that she would not fall for someone who thought being grim was a normal thing, but a few minutes ago, her heart had been pounding under his gaze. Besides that, she found him frustrating at times and irresistable at others, and it infuriated her. He couldn't just walk into her life like that and invade her thoughts. She had enough to think about, forget adding romance.

_Maybe romance would make life easier sometimes,_ a small voice at the back of her mind said.

No, she wouldn't do it. She liked Jag, yes, but anything beyond that was just fooling herself. And had he ever given her any indication that he might return those kind of feelings?

She paused at that thought. Jag was so unreadable, even with the Force. He kept his expressions, his elation, his worries, his fears, his secrets buried beneath the calm façade of a trained soldier. She couldn't tell what he was thinking or what his motives were when he mocked her, or when he skipped half of the diplomatic assembly on Ithor to introduce himself to her. Or what he had been getting at by talking to her privately while they had watched Elegos Ka's coffin being unloaded. He was kind of mysterious, not too mention absolutely gorgeous.

She sighed again, but not with frustration this time, when she remembered how his eyes looked. Deep, thoughtful, intelligent, serious and playful all at the same time, that's the way his eyes were. The more she thought about it, the more she realized her dislike of his flaws was just a shield to protect herself from beginning to genuinely like him. Just something about him made it seem like if she started to like him then she might be friends with him. And if she became friends she might start liking him as more than just a friend. Something she had said to him at Ithor came back to her, and she shuddered at the peculiarity of it all. She had said, "Sometimes a meeting isn't just a meeting, sometimes it's a prelude."

Well, hadn't that been a meeting? Was it a prelude? If she breathed deeply and allowed the Force to fill her, then she could see that there were different possibilities.

Finally, she decided that she couldn't win against herself, she would do what she thought was appropriate, and the first decision she came to in this matter was that she would stop purposely disliking Jagged Fel and get to know him better. Then she would understand him better and would know whether or not he would reciprocate any feeling she held for him.

Looking at her chrono, she remembered that she had told Anakin she'd meet him in the training room for lightsaber sparring. Rushing as she slipped on a sleeveless white shirt and loose black pants, she still was tying her long brown hair up in a ponytail when she knocked on Jag's door.

Wearing the same black Imperial style uniform, he looked intrigued to see her standing at his door.

"Hey," she said, her hopeful grin fading a bit, suddenly slightly embarrassed, maybe it had been a stupid idea after all… "Well, I was wondering, have you ever seen a lightsaber fight?"  
Jag looked even more intrigued at this and replied mildly, "Never, not even in holovids, why?"

"Would you like to?" Jaina asked.

Jag's eyebrows rose.

"Sure," he answered, "Just let me get changed. Come on in."

Jaina stepped surely into the room.

Jag grabbed some clothes out of his bag and walked into his refresher, closing the door behind himself. Jaina tried not to feel self-conscious and turned her attention to the holos sitting on his bedstand. There was one of his mother, with an apron on and her hands on her hips, one of a younger version of his mother, probably his sister, with Jag standing beside the girl and arm draped over her shoulder and big grins all over their faces. The last picture was of a solemn teenage boy in a fighter pilot uniform, that resembled Jag very closely, but had to be his older brother. Jaina got an uneasy feeling about that, and she felt guilty when Jag cleared his throat behind her.

She whirled around, then relaxed at his smile. He had changed into a grey shirt with a black jacket with the military insignia on the arm. It might have been casual clothes, but it looked formal on him.

"Is this your brother?" Jaina asked unknowingly, pointing to the picture.

"Yes," Jag replied, and a bit of sadness crept into his voice, "He died about five years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry," said Jaina, feeling awkward.

Jag looked at her strangely, "It's okay."

There was an uncomfortable silence in which they both just looked at their feet before Jag tried to start the conversation again, "So, who's this lightsaber battle between anyway?"

Jaina immediately snapped back to her confident self and as they walked out of the room she explained to him.

"It's between Anakin and I. Usually, Jacen and Anakin spare constantly, I think it helps them work out their frustrations with each other in a more… educational environment. Anyway, since Jacen's not here right now, Anakin thought that we needed to keep our practice up."

They paced down the hallway and Jaina hit the button when they reached the training room.

"About time you got here!" Anakin's voice came from inside. As Jaina and Jag walked in he turned around. "Ah, we have an audience, excellent!"

"Ready to be taught a few lessons little brother?" Jaina grinned.

"Not nearly as many as I'm going to teach you!" Anakin shot back with a smile.

They bowed and then went to separate corners of the room. Jag took a seat on a bench, and waited.

Both Anakin and Jaina turned around at the same time, sensing anticipation through the Force. They circled towards each other and Jaina twirled her lightsaber in a neat circle, a coy, "come and get it" smirk on her face. Anakin had a sly, concentrated visage as they advanced, they both seemed to focusing equally hard, feeling the Force running through them. Jaina attacked first with a high feint towards Anakin's face. He batted the end of the lightsaber to the right and tried to carry the motion through enough so that he could lock her hands in a downwards position with her lightsaber below his, but Jaina was much too quick for that. She pulled her lightsaber to the right in the middle of his motion and followed the inertia through, spinning away from him then launching another attack as soon as she completed the turn. Suddenly, Jaina pushed him faster, launching into a series of forceful upper slashes, but Anakin parried each of them and flipped backwards to give himself space. Then he came at her from the front, but just as he reached the closest point, he stepped to the left and tried to swing at her neck, yet Jaina managed to block it, then forward-flipped right over top of him to land in front.

The next twenty minutes were fought with a kind of determination and strength that Jaina put every bit of herself into. Anakin was skilled, strong, and a little taller, but Jaina had a lot of experience and Mara Jade had trained her. At the end of forty-five minutes Anakin was exhausted into surrender. They switched off their blades and bowed, each completely respectful and sincere, but a moment later, Anakin hugged her good-naturedly and said with some disappointment, "Next time I guess."

"Whenever you want," Jaina breathed, grabbing a water bottle and spraying it into her mouth. She grabbed a towel and patted the sweat off her face as she came over to Jag on the bench. His mouth didn't really give away anything, but his eyes were shining with admiration and excitement.

"So, did you like that?" Jaina asked tentatively.

"It has to have been one of the most incredible things I've ever seen," Jag admitted.

"Whoa, high praise indeed," commented Jaina, surprised, "If you're impressed by that, you should come in here when Mara and Corran are practicing. Then you're really in for a show."

She winked.

Jag smirked, "I'll bet."


	3. Well-made Plans

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Chapter Three: Well-made Plans

Later that night Jagged Fel was sitting silently in his cabin, trying to concentrate on writing the report to his father, but finding the task hard to focus on. He had a variety of emotions swirling around inside of him and ignoring them didn't seem to work. His mouth set in a serious line, his short black hair ruffled, his eyes kept wandering to the door and wondering about the girl across from him in the hall. He worried about her; of course, he was concerned for all the Jedi at the moment, with the unfair resentment of the galaxy against them. But for some reason, he found Jaina Solo's safety took a slightly higher priority.

_Come on Jagged, _he said to himself, _It's just because she's the one you met first, and you can feel a comradeship towards her because she's a pilot too._

And a good one at that, he added to himself.

Before he could devout any further thought to the matter, his comlink beeped and he was summoned to Booster Terrik's main office.

Quickly reaching it, he walked in to find Jaina already sitting there, fiddling with her chrono and leaning back in her chair. Giving him a dazzling smile, she motioned to the chair next to her. He immediately sat down, then chastised himself for seeming so eager.

Jaina didn't seem to notice, she was absorbed in winding something on the back of her chrono.

"Booster said he'd be here in a moment," she said to him absentmindedly.

"Ah, I see. What are you doing?" Jag asked curiously.

Jaina moved her hands towards him and into his own so he could see what she was doing. The back of the chrono had been pulled off and Jaina was rearranging the wires to make space for a small metal box she held with a delicate tool.

"It's just an experiment I'm working on. I'm not sure whether it works or not yet," Jaina commented, sounding embarrassed.

Before Jag could ask her anything more about her project, Booster walked into the room and Jaina quickly pulled her hands away. A part of Jag gravely regretted that.

"Well, Luke and Mara are coming," said Booster as he sat down across from them at his desk. "The bad news is that they got into some trouble."

"Trouble?" asked Jaina worriedly, sitting bolt upright. "Serious trouble?"

Booster shook his head reassuringly at her fear.

"No, just some minor trouble with the Vong, but they have to set down on this planet to make repairs. They thought it might be better if you met up with them there to talk things over."

Jaina and Jag looked at each other.

"Is that okay with you Colonel?" Jaina asked, and Jag wondered why she suddenly chose to use the term.

"It would be fine," Jag replied smoothly and nodding his head for emphasis.

"Which planet?" Jaina asked, "How far is it?"

Booster brought up a holomap from a device in front of him on the desk. He pointed to a place by Hutt space, and said, "Gobi. That's the name of the planet. Mostly desert from what I hear. They'll meet you there the day after tomorrow. I can take you to the edge of the system and you can launch in your fighters and then I'll be back there in a week, depending on our schedule."

"Sounds good," Jaina agreed.

"I concur," said Jag.

"Well, that's settled then. I wish you both the best of luck," Booster said with a finality that let them know the meeting was over.

As Jaina and Jag both got up to leave and Booster started for the door that led into his own quarters, he turned around suddenly.

"Oh yes, Colonel Fel," Booster said, "I was to inform you that your Uncle Wedge will be paying a visit tomorrow morning."

Jag's face lit up and he smiled, "Thank-you sir," before exiting the room.

"So," Jaina said, looking up at him, "Want to grab something to eat?"

"With you?" Jag asked, surprised for the second time that day by the amiability Jaina was displaying, "Where?"

"No, not with me, with Booster," Jaina said sarcastically, and shrugged, "And it's the _Errant Venture_, there's bound to be plenty of places to eat."  
"Well, in that case, yes, and you pick the place," Jag offered. He tried to suppress the absolute pleasure he felt that Jaina had invited him alone to accompany her.

"Let's find some place Corellian," she decided, with emphasis on the word Corellian. "We'll find out how much of one you really are."  
Jag laughed, "Well, in the military there's not a lot of variety, but my mom starts shoving it down my throat the moment I get home."

"Yeah, my Dad likes to cook it at home sometimes, though he's not much of a chef," she paused, "I kind of inherited that trait too. Don't put me anywhere near a kitchen. You'll know when dinner's ready when the smoke alarm goes off."

"Thanks for the warning," Jag said with a smirk.

"Have you ever visited Corellia Jag?" Jaina asked, "Recently?"

Jag thought about all the training, competition and strife that the past five years of his life had been filled with. There hadn't been much time for fun, but his father had taken his family to Corellia when he was only nine years old. It was hard to remember the vacation.

"No," he answered solemnly, "Not since I was little, and I don't remember much."

The corners of Jaina's mouth turned down a little momentarily.

"Too bad," she said, "It's good the Vong haven't gotten there yet."

At that point they found what they were looking for and the conversation was cut off. The _Errant Venture_ was not like any other Star Destroyer. In fact, it had almost eased to be a Star Destroyer and now resembled something like a large, ritzy hotel in space. Beasue of the lavish ness of it, Jaina and Jag had no problems finding a good Corellian restaurant.

They walked in and were seated by a waiter, who lead them past a table where Jaina's brother Anakin was sitting with a beautiful blond haired girl. Jag noticed she didn't have any shoes on and no reasonable explanation for such behaviour sprang to mind. As he and Jaina walked by, Anakin saw them and smiled and winked.

"Who is the girl with your brother?" asked Jag as they sat down and Jaina brought up a menu.

"That's Tahiri," Jaina answered immediately, her eyes scanning across the text of the hologram, "She and Anakin have been best friends sine they were at the Jedi Academy together. When the Peace Brigade Attacked Yavin IV, she got captured and experimented on by the Vong. Anakin rescued her all by himself."

"So they've become pretty close I suppose," Jag guessed.

"Yes. Their master, Ikrit had a prophecy about them. He said that they were stronger together. Obviously, Ikrit was right," explained Jaina as she looked at them, and when see turned her head and saw Jag's confused look, she added, "It has to do with a bond in the Force, something deeper than common Jedi bonds. It's a connection ordained by the Force."

Jag was silent for a moment, pondering this, and Jaina, eyes intent and serious, leaned forward and asked softly, "Do you believe in destiny?"

Jag looked wary and carefully replied, "I don't devout time to thinking about it. Philosophy wasn't a required study at the academy."

Jaina looked annoyed, "It isn't philosophy Jag, or mysticism. It's choices, emotions, and the consequences of both. It's people's lives entwined and mingled, combined with a power that no one really understands."

"I thought that the Jedi understood everything about the Force," Jag questioned, rebuffed.

"Actually no, no one does, and if they think they do, they're fooling themselves," Jaina scoffed, "The Jedi Code itself is so generalizing for the exact purpose of not being so pompous, and to provoke thought."

"Well, you can think what you want," Jag replied, "But I think people forge their own fate through adherence to duty and hard work."

Jaina tilted her head to one side, considering. She seemed to think carefully about her next words.

"I guess you think it's kind of silly," she said disappointedly.

"What do I think is silly?" Jag pressed, feeling lost.

"The Force," she answered.

Jag felt like he'd been slapped. He had his own ideas about the way life worked, he'd just never really shared them before, because no one he had ever known had been this open to him before. He had couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation like this, let alone with a girl like Jaina.

"No, I believe Jaina," Jag assured her, "I've just never met someone who could use it before."

Understanding collected in Jaina's eyes, "Oh I see."

"Are you angry?" Jag asked dreading the answer.

Jaina shook her head, "No. Think about it Jag, we both agree that people help to shape their own future. Just because of the way you are, you're just not sure about the Force influencing it."

Jag breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you're not mad at me."  
Jaina's face broke into a grin.

"Just wait until you've spent a week with me. You'll either love me or hate me."


	4. Good-mornings, Goodnights

AN: Well, here's some more in the lives of Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel... Thanks for the reviews, especially Mia because you have no clue who some of the people are but you're reading this for me anyway! : ) I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

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Chapter Four: Good-mornings, Goodnights

After a night a dreaming, in which she was haunted by a pair of pale green eyes, Jaina awoke with a groggy stretch and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before reaching for the glass of water beside her bed. Drinking deeply, she woke up a little and stumbled to the refresher. Ten minutes later, thanks to the marvels of caffeine, she became Jaina Solo, Jedi Knight, pilot, and holovid quality cover girl.

She knew Wedge would most likely be there around 8:00 in the morning, so she grabbed her datapad and walked casually down the hallway to the docking bays, humming "I love you baby!" unconsciously under her breath.

She was looking at something on her datapad and ran directly into Jag Fel.

_Thump!_

Jaina's datapad went flying across the floor, and Jag had to grab her shoulder to keep her from rebounding off him onto the floor.

Jaina opened her eyes when the expected fall didn't come and instead of finding herself on the floor, she was gazing up into the very same eyes that had captured her subconscious last night. For a moment, both of them seemed to freeze, as they found themselves in an awkward, yet not unwanted position. When they both realized they were gawking, Jaina promptly broke eye contact and coughed into her hand. Jag released her quickly.

"Um, sorry," said Jag, bending down to pick up her datapad.

"No, it was completely my fault," argued Jaina, taking her possession.

"Are you going to meet General Antilles?" Jag interrupted before they could start to fight.

"Yes," Jaina answered as they started to walk again. "Jag, he's your uncle, why don't you refer to him as that?"

Jag paused for a moment and said, "I guess it's because I've only really met him once before. He certainly feels like my uncle and I think only good of him, but I don't feel comfortable or familiar enough yet."

Jaina found this understandable, but, being Jaina, she saw it as a situation that could be, and therefore would be fixed, whether by her powers, or by persuasion.

"Jag," she told him seriously, "Now that he's here, why don't you take the opportunity to spend some time and talk to him?"  
Jag stopped walking and touched her arm to make her face towards him and Jaina obliged, standing still to look up at his face, which had an expression she had never seen before on it, something like a cross between pain and steadfastness, a riot of conflicting emotions.

"What if," he said quietly, and took a steadying breath, "There are other people I want to know better instead?"

Jaina's eyes widened and she looked scared, and then confused, and finally breathless. His pale green eyes looked straight into hers, trying to make her understand. She didn't know what to say, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do or how she was to act. She felt dizzy and panicky, like she'd been hit in the chest, because there was something constricting her breathing. A sense of surrealism overtook her and the only thing anchoring her in reality was the depth and sincerity in his gaze. Slowly, everything around them seemed to blur and a strange sense of wonderment captured her. He started to close his eyes and tilt his head towards her, but was very rudely cut off by the sound of someone clearing his throat.

Jaina and Jag both looked up, startled out of their wits, and saw Wedge Antilles standing there, arms folded across his chest, trying to keep from laughing.

Both pilots snapped their feet together and brought their hands up in a salute, but Wedge waved his hand to make them stop.

"Sorry to interrupt," Wedge said, smiling, "But could you inform Booster that I'm here."

Giving them a wink and a smirk as he walked away whistling, Wedge continued down the corridor.

Jaina was blushing hard, and she felt a tinge of anger with her embarrassment. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she composed herself and brushed past Jag in the directions of her quarters. Jag watched her retreat with mixed feelings, and cursed bad timing. The moment had passed and he would need to wait for it to come again.

There was a knock at Jag's door about an hour after he'd returned to his quarters, and Jag opened it to see his uncle standing there.

"Hello Jag," Wedge said kindly, "Mind if I come in?"

Jag gestured him into the room, "Not at all."

Wedge seated himself at one of the two chairs arranged by a table in the room kitty-corner from the refresher. While looking apparently at ease, Jag knew that his uncle would be a little more interrogative this meeting. Jag braced himself and sat down across from Wedge.

"Booster told me everything that's going on, and I have to say, I'm very curious about the change in your military's decision," Wedge said calmly.

This line of conversation was one that Jag could deal with. The next half hour or so was devoted to talk about the Chiss military, Jag's father, the well-being of his mother and sisters, and a bit of bragging about various exploits. At that point, Wedge finally brought up the subject Jag wasn't ready or willing to talk about.

"You like Jaina Solo, don't you?" Wedge said bluntly.

"Of course I like her, she's a very talented woman, with a lot of accomplishments for someone her age, she's…" Jag began to say in a rush.

Wedge stopped him, "You know what I mean Jag."  
Jag opened his mouth, preparing to protest, but he stopped, snapped his jaws shut and looked at the laminated surface of the table.

"Yes," he replied softly, "You saw that for yourself."

"It was a surprise. Not entirely unexpected, but I blinked for a second or two," Wedge admitted.

"How much did you see?" Jag questioned, a slight colour rising in his cheeks.

Wedge grinned, "Only the part where you were staring at each other like the other was the only thing in the galaxy that mattered."

Jag's face reddened a little more and he mumbled, "I should really learn to pick my times."

"Hey," Wedge consoled him cheerfully, "You're a starfighter pilot, you live for the moment."

"She just seems so _brave_," Jag explained, "Like she's not afraid of anything and if you try to tell her something she doesn't like, she'll tell you where to go and how to get there, not giving Sith about what anyone else thinks. Yet, she's not as naïve and innocent as she was when I first met her, though she wasn't exactly sheltered then either. She's seen her comrades killed, she's been spending months at the front, fighting a very difficult and dismal war. I could try to figure her out till my head explodes, but the only conclusion I reach is that I feel something for her, something that isn't going away."

Absorbing this confession quietly, Wedge kept his eyes on Jag's face and was very attentive to everything he said, and when Jag was done, Wedge reached out and placed a hand on Jag's shoulder. Jag jerked his head up and Wedge's calm, appraising gaze met his eyes.

"You can't change what you feel inside of you Jag. You can try to ignore it, but sooner or later, it's going to break through your defenses. Take my advice and don't wait Jag, if you love someone, tell her you love her. Because in these times, there might not always be a sooner or a later," Wedge urged with wisdom borne of experience.

Jag nodded to show he understood.

"I'm working out, I'm working on it," Jag assured him.

It was nearly 18:00 hours when Jaina knocked on the door of Jag's quarters. Opening it to find her standing there, loaded down with disks, datapads, and a holoprojector, Jag commented dryly, "Taken up slicing have we?"

"Very funny," Jaina said indignantly, "Give me a hand with these please."

Jag reached out to grab a stack of disks, but Jaina transferred the weight before he had a hold and the whole stack went skittering across the floor.

"Oops," said Jaina, almost offhandedly. She stooped to set her other material on the floor and began to gather the misplaced objects.

Jag bent down to help her and his hand ran into hers as they both reached for one at the same moment. He was very still suddenly and Jaina gave a nervous laugh before standing up and moving her equipment over to the table.

Jag berated himself silently and leaned to pick up the disk before joining her.

Jaina, meanwhile, was jacking a datapad into the holoprojector and inserted a disk. A green and brown planet with bodies of blue water floated in front of them.

"This is Gobi, obviously," Jaina explained, "It's nearness to it's sun keeps it from developing polar ice caps or freezing temperatures. There are large stretches of desert, combined with jungle on the edges of freshwater oceans. Its major cities are Salam, Ephaisus, Kalahari, and Menfe. The planet's main economy is in rare desert fruit, called _kiwashi_. It's used to make some kind of wine apparently. The other attraction is the giant pyramids and other archeological significant ruins. They're obviously a planetary treasure."

"Let's take a tour," Jag said sarcastically, "Pyramids, what I've always wanted to see."  
Giving him a dagger glance, but trying unsuccessfully to keep from smiling, Jaina continued, "Historians are greatly intrigued by the mysterious, decadent tombs of ancient kings that dominate large areas underground, beneath the pyramids."

"Alright Jaina, forget the history lesson. Where are we going to land? What time are we going to land? Where are we going to meet Luke and Mara?" Jag questioned, cutting to the point.

Jaina feigned reproach, but grinned and gave the vital information.

"We leave tomorrow at 8:00. We'll land at Kalahari and meet Luke and Mara somewhere in there," Jaina prompted, looking relieved to be through with her educational spiel.

"Meet them _somewhere_?" Jag inquired sternly, "There is not a definite location to converge at?"

Knowing it would have been hard to slip that by him, Jaina nodded bashfully.

"I'm sorry, I know you would like to have the specifics, but I just can't get them Jag," she shrugged, "Come see this though."

Jaina took out a small datapad and pressed a few buttons, a look of concentration on her face. Jag moved his chair beside hers and looked over her shoulder to see what was displayed on the screen. Almost immediately, he realized that he was very, very close to her. He was able to smell the floral scent of her hair, to hear the even sound of her breathing and if he looked out of the corner or his eyes, the absorbing way her lips were set in a line of youthful determination. He sat back abruptly, not wanting to think about her, and not able to stand against those attractions.

Jaina turned her head around and the look in her eyes told him that she knew what he'd felt. Her Jedi senses seemed to be naturally attuned to probe his feelings. It made him feel naked, exposed, and he suppressed a frown.

"Here," Jaina said, placing the data into his hand, "These are maps of the city and the spaceport. I'd better get packed, we could be there a week or two."

Jag nodded, "Make sure you take some water. It's heavy to carry, but you never know the quality of local stuff on desert planets."

Jaina smiled as she got up and moved towards the door, "If you say so Flyboy."

Jag grinned and settled back in his chair, about to start reading over the data she'd given him. As Jaina opened the door, however, Booster Terrik was standing immediately outside of it. The look on the aging smuggler's face expressed mild annoyance and bewilderment.

"There you are," he said, frustration evident in his voice, "I've been looking for you two. Were you just planning to waltz right down to the planet without any kind of planning? It's dangerous to be ignorant you know."

A puzzled frown came over Jaina's face.

"But we've just been looking over information on the planet for the past half hour. One of the people on your communications team gave it to me!" Jaina protested, confused.

This appeared to be news to Booster, because his eyebrows furrowed and his forehead creased.

"One of _my_ people? Who?" Booster asked.

"His name was Harlit, about 180 cm, 85 kilos, dark haired.." Jaina started to describe.

"Oh _that_ communications person," realized Booster, cutting her off, "Ah yes, well that figures. He's new, but very bright, very hardworking. He keeps to himself but a very efficient young man. He was the one who was able to decrypt and deliver the text message from Luke and Mara in the first place. Never mind, it makes sense he would give you the proper information."

Jaina looked relieved.

"Well, if that's the case," she replied, "Then I still have packing to do. Goodnight Sir."

Booster nodded, "Good night."

He turned to Jag, who had been sitting silently, watching this exchange, "And goodnight to you too Colonel."

With that, Jag's door was closed and he was left alone with his thoughts. And no matter how hard he scrutinized the datapad, his thoughts kept wandering elsewhere. Like to what Jaina was doing at the moment. In an effort to distract himself, he started to pack the appropriate belongings for the trip to Gobi. A week in the company of Jaina Solo… he was sure he would either be dead or in love.


	5. Gobi Spaceport

AN: Reviews!!!! ***Dances around the room gleefully*** Lovely reviews! Especially when they are so entertaining, thanks 'Nox. So here's a little mush for everyone, and then after that…. ACTION! I like action. * grins devilishly* And in other news… Have a great weekend!

Chapter Five: Gobi Spaceport

"You'll be happy to know that I now have the location of the place we're supposed to meet Luke and Mara. It's at a cantina attached to a hotel near the spaceport," said Jaina the next morning when they met by their fighters in the hanger bay. She was wearing a tight red flightsuit with a trader insignia on it, and her shoulder length brown hair was straight and glossy. Her cover once they reached Kalahari was a trading scout looking for a deal on kiwashi. Jag was her partner, but he retained his ordinary black flight suit. Jaina noticed the gaping look on his face when he first saw her outfit, but only raised an eyebrow and shook her head. He caught her meaning and tried his best to look indignant, but Jaina noticed his eyes wandered when they were supposed to be running checks on their ships.

"Ready Lieutenant?" he asked teasingly when they were both in their cockpits.

"Four lit and in the green," she replied, "All set Colonel."

He laughed over the comlink and then they hit the repulsors and Jaina took the lead out of the hanger. They were on the edge of the Gobi system and could see the yellow sun shining in the middle. After making a brief micro-jump that placed them very near the planet's orbit, the voice of a planet traffic control official.

"Please state your name and the nature of your business," he requested smoothly.

"Joi Belos and Zak Thomree. It's business and trading," replied Jaina, equally smooth.

"Which city is your destination?" the official asked.

"Kalahari."

"You may proceed," he confirmed.

"Thanks," Jaina said, firing her thrusters in unison with Jag and landing in their berth in the city a few minutes later.

"Well," said Jaina to Jag as she climbed out of her ship, "That was easy."

"It's always easy to get in," Jag pointed out, "Usually the hard part is getting out."

"Don't be such a pessimist," Jaina admonished, giving him a playful shove.

Jag's response was to adjust his blaster holster.

The cantina/hotel was easy enough to find. They made a few turns and read some of the street signs and, consulting the datapad with the maps on it, managed to reach the large, domed roof, white building within a few minutes.

"Alright," said Jaina when they reached it, "Now what do we do?"

Jag looked at the light baggage they had carried from the ships and then to the hotel. He considered the hot, humid air that made their clothes stick to their skin, a result of Kalahari being enveloped by the dense, vibrant jungle that bordered the edge of a large desert.

"Check in, most likely," he decided, but looked at her to see if she thought otherwise.

"Good by me," Jaina shrugged and they walked up the rough stone path to the entrance.

It was much cooler inside the lobby, and the receptionist at the front desk politely took their names and gave them a key to their room, which turned out to have two single beds, a holoplayer and refresher with a shower.

"It's not fancy precisely," Jaina commented as she walked in and threw her stuff on one of the beds, "But not seedy either."

"And it has _two_ beds," Jag noted innocently.

"You'd be sleeping on the floor if there wasn't," Jaina said in a tone dripping with false sweetness.

Jag laughed, "Okay, I'm taking the refresher first for that."

Jaina shrugged and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the white stone ceiling. She heard the water in the shower start to run and gave a small sigh. It seemed that despite what she had promised herself at Ithor, she had, in fact, fallen for Jag Fel. Her consolation was that it hadn't been all her own fault, as _he_ had been the one to express feelings for her first. Jaina shivered, remembering the clarity and hope in his eyes. It scared her that they had moved through the stages of friendship so quickly and that she could be important to someone like Jag Fel. What scared her more was that he was important to her too.

Jaina had never believed in love at first sight and romance was foreign to her, and yet… Love might be too strong of word, but she knew she liked Jag very much. The feeling gave her contentment.

Opting to spend the rest of the day traversing the city, for lack of anything better and because Luke and Mara had yet to show, about an hour later Jaina and Jag were wandering through an open air market. They wandered slowly down the streets, with stalls of fruit and exotic produce on either side, packed as densely as the hundreds of dark-skinned, white clad inhabitants of Kalahari. All around them was the babble of people speaking and bargaining and wagering, and the entire market seemed to pulse with life.

The moist hot air was refreshing after days most commonly spent on cold spaceships and as they wandered along, Jaina found it pleasant to merely be surrounded by the vibrant and the high-spirited locals. Jag was fairly quiet at first, absorbing the new environment with awe that Jaina felt he contained on the inside, but he gradually opened up as they went.

"Who was your role model growing up Jaina?" Jag asked with interest after Jaina had explained an incident she and Mara had gotten themselves into before the days of the Yuuzahn Vong.

Jaina cocked an eyebrow at him and faked suspicion, "Why do you ask?"

"Just hoping to gain some insight into a very complex woman," he admitted.

Laughing, Jaina replied thoughtfully, "Well, I didn't just have one role model. I don't think a person should have just one role model unless that role model is practically perfect. I admire different things in different people. I'm constantly amazed by the kindness and honesty my uncle Luke displays, he's a very genuine, caring person. In terms of guts, bravery and independent spirit, I really look up to my Dad, because he taught me everything about those virtues, just because of the way he is. And my mom is someone I constantly look up to for her compassion, strength and stubbornness. As for my teacher, Mara, her tough, "I don't take crap from anyone" attitude I kind of absorbed from her training, not too mention the incredible survival skills she passed on to me. She's a lady that knows how to take care of herself."

Jag looked impressed by this thorough explanation and didn't say anything for a moment as he logged this new information.

"What about you Jag, who do you admire?" Jaina asked softly.

Jag gave her that subtle smile and immediately said, "My father, my older brother, my mother and my uncle. Each has instilled something different, and valuable."  
"I take it you had a talk with Wedge?" Jaina guessed.

"Yes, we had a very long, worthwhile conversation," Jag affirmed, "I'm lucky to have someone like that looking out for me."

"I was thinking the same thing Jag," replied Jaina, "The very same thing."

For the moment, he was absorbed in the way her face looked when she was concentrating, the focus and intelligence displayed her eyes and smile on her lips as she agreed with him. A slight trickle of guilt worked it's way through his body as he realized that while he was here, spending a literal vacation on a beautiful planet with a woman he was eagerly becoming more familiar with, other members of his squadron would be burdened with the tedious escort duty towards the envoy to the Imperial Remnant. He tried to think about something else.

Jag Fel was the kind of person who spent more time thinking, planning and strategizing than he did feeling or sorting out emotions. Any temper or joy, he was taught, should not be allowed to control one's actions. The immediate feelings he had were always quickly translated in a calm, direct manner towards the person he intended to convey them to. That was what training, discipline and devotion to his principles had done for him, but in this instance, for the past few days in fact, those teachings were inadequate. The manner in which he expressed his current feelings would probably get him slapped.

As Jag was sorting out his inner dilemmas, some locals were trying to get the front posts of a stall ahead of them to stand up. The flap of material that protected the seller from the sun had fallen in and the posts were weighted down with a heavy, rock hard fruit hung in groups on them.

Just as Jaina and Jag were approaching, caught up in their own respective dazes, the flimsy supports finally buckled. There was a painful creaking noise and splitting of wood, and Jag's head swung around to see the timbers plummeting towards them.

"Look out!" he screamed at Jaina, grabbing her as he dodged out of harm's way.

_CRASH!!!!_

Pieces of fruit spilled out in the street and a monstrous cloud of dust was picked up. Amidst all the chaos, Jag realized he was safe and Jaina Solo was standing tensed against his chest, with his arms surrounding her protectively. Her face was pressed into the front of his flight suit, and her shoulders were in a cringe.

She seemed to realize that everything was okay and looked up at him, her expression slightly confused, her eyes surprised and scared.

"Are you alright?" Jag asked in a panicked tone, bring his hand up to touch her face, hair, and head, an almost unconscious gesture to make sure she wasn't bleeding or injured. His hand stayed touching her cheek, concerned and worried.

Jaina nodded, recovering, "You?"

"Fine," Jag assured her. He realized that he was still holding her tightly and their faces were merely centimeters apart. One part of him was embarrassed and sought to release his clutch, but mostly, he was just relieved and it felt wonderful just to stay in that position.

Jaina smiled knowingly up at him.

"You're not going to get a better chance than this Flyboy," she whispered softly, knowing his thoughts.

"I hate it when you read my mind," he whispered back, smiling slightly, then closed his eyes and tilted his head forward a short distance to kiss her sweetly and gently on the lips, not caring one bit that they were surrounded by strangers. For one of the few times in his life, as her arms wrapped around him and he pulled her closer, Jag Fel was completely, utterly, absolutely happy.


	6. Late Night Reflection

****

AN: Okay, first of all, sorry for neglecting this story for what seems like forever. But guess what? I've been writing it all without posting and it's nearly finished! But… It isn't the same story as I began. You see, I began wanting to explore some different character dynamics, and as a result, changed my story considerably. I've been posting it on my website, which you can check out, and now I'll post the first chapter here. This begins after Rebel Stand.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of it's characters. Property of LFL, Del Rey and George Lucas. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

****

Chapter One: Late Night Reflection

Jagged Fel expected sleep to come easily, quickly and uncalled for. From his feet to his painfully throbbing head he was exhausted, sore and stiff. All his effort had gone into that last desperate, ingenious battle for Borleias and he wished fervently for sleep.... deep, blissful, uninterrupted sleep.

The only thing was, he couldn't.

No matter how hard he tried, the matter kept coming back to him and would not let him rest. 

The problem, of course, was duty versus love. He was beginning to suspect that he loved Jaina Solo. It wasn't something he'd just decided, though he was well-used to making decisions, but rather a feeling, an epiphany that had crept up on him. As is often the case with unexpected surprises, he was just finding it hard to adjust. 

The feeling would have been wonderful, save for one thing, his duty.

Responsibility was a fickle thing, it could grant one freedom and make one a slave. Jag knew he had to go back to the Unknown Regions. His father had allowed him and Shawnkyr to leave Csilla so that they could scout out the enemy. They'd been gone for a month now, which was more than enough time to make ample observations and Shawnkyr was beginning to see through his excuses for remaining with the New Republic.

Basically, it was time to make a choice. He would make neither parties happy by sitting on the fence. 

So, his practical mind told him, he should leave immediately and return to his command and obligations in the Chiss Space. 

But Jaina... 

It felt like his soul was being torn in two. 

Jag gave a wry smile. The phrase was poetic, so unlike him. 

But, the great philosophers say, at the touch of love, everyone is a poet. 

Jag went over in his head again exactly what had happened with him and Jaina in the past few encounters. First, he had nearly died. There was something to write up in ship's log, nearly dying. 

And contrary to popular belief, his life did not flash before his eyes. 

More important was what had happened after, the confrontation, the interrogation, the confession, the embrace, and then... the kiss. 

He analyzed each from different angles. Did he really promise her that he wouldn't leave? Leaving was her euphemism for dying, a word that had been hard enough to choke out in her disintegrating emotional state. She knew her brothers were dead, she didn't have to make things harder on herself by acknowledging it aloud. 

__

So I said I wouldn't die on her. Am I insane? I could die any second out there in this war. 

Then there was this whole "promise" idea. The word "promise" had never crossed his lips. There had simply been, "I won't leave you." 

But whether or not he had promised Jaina he would stay made little difference, because the fact was he wanted to stay. He needed to stay. He couldn't stand to leave her in this state of loneliness and despair. He needed her. He'd never needed anyone the way he did her and the feeling scared the hell out of him. 

A knock at the door startled him, prompting him from his fitful sprawl to a dizzy sitting position. Was that Jaina? He really didn't want to see her for fear she would figure out something was wrong, but there was no way to hide from a Jedi. He got up wearily and opened the door. 

She stood haloed by the hallway lights, a tired but glad smile on her face and her hands folded neatly behind her back. 

"The Goddess wishes to consult with you on a matter of strategic importance," she announced grandly. 

Inwardly, he smiled, but in appearance, he only raised an eyebrow and stepped away from the door, making an "after-you" gesture. 

"Jaina," he began when the door was closed, before she could kiss him or say anything that would make him lose his nerve, "There's something we need to talk about."   
Jaina looked surprised. He took her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him on the bed. 

"What is it Jag?" she asked apprehensively. 

He took a quick moment to collect his thoughts before answering. 

"I have to leave Jaina. I'm under orders to return to the Unknown Regions when my mission is accomplished. I've delayed it as long as I can, but now I'm out of excuses."   
Jaina's eyes didn't leave his face, but everything in her manner told him she'd been expecting this, had been dreading it. She didn't say anything, so he continued. 

"But I want to stay with you Jaina, more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. So perhaps there's a way to achieve both." 

Jaina's sadness was replaced by an intense curiosity. Her eyes flared in interest.

"How?"

Jag took a deep breath.

"Come with me." 


	7. The Go Ahead

****

AN: Wow, more fic in one day…

Chapter Two: The Go Ahead

Jaina stared at Jag for a few long hard seconds. The seconds grew close to a minute before Jaina regained the use of her mouth.

"Come with you?" she repeated in shock.

Her face saddened and she shook her head forlornly.

"I can't do that, you know I can't do that," she said, "I have responsibilities here that I can't get away from, General Antilles or Shar would kill me."

Really, Jaina thought, it was ironic, the same duty that prevented him from staying kept her a prisoner here as well. Essentially, it seemed neither could compromise and that responsibility would keep them apart. Something would have to bend.

Jag took a deep breath, " I know Jaina, I know. But I've been giving it careful thought, hours of careful thought, and I think it's possible. You need some leave, and you deserve some leave. I know flying to the Unknown regions isn't every pilot's idea of a vacation, but…"

She smiled wryly. "Jag, 'where' doesn't matter much as long as I'm with you."

She felt his sudden glowing pleasure through the Force and saw the faint blush that he tried to hide. It made her feel warm, in an appreciated kind of way, that she could make him feel happy with simple compliments like that. She resolved, as she had so many times since their first kiss, to encourage that personality that hid far beneath the surface.

"But," she continued, and becoming depressed again as she did so, "I can't Jag. I'm sorry, I just can't. I mean, what plausible excuse could there be for a Goddess to suddenly pick up and leave?"

Jag's eyes, the only part of his face that she could ever read without the Force, filled with a mischievous light at this last sentence.

"Oh, I had that part figured out," he said, his expression showing the barest, tiniest hint of a grin, "It's simple, really. The goddess needs her time off. Think about it. You're supposed to be granted certain privileges that are above and beyond the standard allowances given to pilots. In this time of war, practically no leave time is given. Wouldn't it follow then, that the goddess can do whatever she wants, whenever and to whoever she likes?"

A smile blossomed on Jaina's face while he was talking and it grew as he went on, as what he was saying became clear.

"Alright. I'll talk it over with Wedge. It wouldn't be too long, would it? A week and a half or so?" Jaina questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"Twelve days," Jag said without a pause. The Chiss-raised pilot seemed to transmit everything to memory and was able to recite it back without hesitation.

Jaina sighed and gave an expectant look. "Well, I guess I'll go now while I have the time."

A genuine smile came over his features as he held out a hand in the motion to stop.

"Wait."

"Yes?" Jaina asked, puzzled.

Jag reached out to give her a quick, tight embrace, briefly wrapping his arms around her and tilting his head down to tenderly kiss her on the lips. Jaina felt her whole self, body and mind, relax at this mild adoration and she tried to push away thoughts of the war, of the Jedi, and the reasons she felt this way, or what it was she felt. She didn't want anyone to see how confused she was about herself. She'd always been the confident one, right? Didn't everyone expect her to act that way?

Jag seemed to sense her inner dilemmas, but he didn't say anything, just rested his chin against her forehead and slowly ran his hand over her back. He couldn't have had much experience with romance, but he tried not to let it show.

"Jaina," he said softly in her ear.

"Mmm?" she murmured.

"I hope this all works out."

***

Wedge Antilles looked thoughtfully at the young Lieutenant seated across the desk from him, fidgeting in her chair but keeping her eyes on him and her gaze level.

_Just like a Solo_, he thought absentmindedly, reminded again of how much Jaina was like her father. In looks, from the creamy skin, soft fawn eyes and dark wavy hair, she was every centimeter her mother. Her attitude, her skill, her walk and her very stance were all traits inherited from her father.

And like her father, she had little respect for authority.

"Lieutenant Solo," he said carefully, "You believe that this ruse will be believable."

Jaina nodded once, precisely, "Yes General."

Wedge mused it over for a moment. In theory, it could work. The goddess goes away for a short time, to plan and to attend to her religious duties. She needed to have time to hatch new schemes and perhaps the mortals were interfering with her work.

Wedge suspected the reason might also have something to do with the feelings he sensed Jaina and Jag were developing for each other. Romance was a risky thing in war, but after all, he had met Iella during one of the most crucial battles of the Rebellion and it would be rather anal retentive of him to put a halt to their flirtations. A smile worked at his mouth.

_Who am I to interfere with the course of true love?_

Coming to his final decision with this thought, Wedge made eye contact with Jaina, who was struggling with the apprehensive look that kept creeping onto her face. He nodded once.

"I give you my consent. Sharr will work with intelligence operatives to spread misinformation, you can leave at a time when not many people are on patrol… Don't worry, I'm sure it will work."

He paused thoughtfully.

"I was talking to your mother the other day."

Jaina cringed slightly.

"She said that you looked tired," Wedge conceded kindly, "Jaina, I'm glad to give you a break. I hope you and Jag have a wonderful time."

_I wonder exactly how close they are anyway?_

At his last words, Jaina's face seemed to flood with fresh colour and life and her eyes became vibrant once more. Her smile packed enough energy to power a Super Star Destroyer.

_Apparently, they are _very_ close._

With a salute and a pleasant good-bye, Jaina walked speedily from the room.

***

Jag was just slipping on his jacket, preparing to exit his room and make his way to the flight simulators, when a distinct tone announced there was a visitor waiting outside his door.

Having some idea of just who was outside that door, Jag crossed the room quickly and opened it with a quick tap of his fingers. Jaina stood outside, grinning, a broad, glad smile.

"The Goddess commands you accompany her to the flight simulators and give her some good sport," Jaina said in a light, haughty manner. The snide lift of her chin completed the deception.

Jag let down the grim expression of his face to register delight for a few microseconds before placing the façade back in position.

"Granted that you stop talking in the third person, Great One, I think that can be arranged," Jag replied dryly.

Jaina laughed and the sound left Jag with a glowing feeling as they walked purposefully down the hallway. They came to an intersection in the corridors, and Jag found that Jaina was nudging him slightly with her shoulder to the right turn. Understanding, Jag moved in that direction.

The wing the hallway led to was seldom used, centimeters of thick grey dust coated the boxes, furniture and floor and the air had a still, stale taste. The irritating stray dirt particles clogged his nose and he struggled to contain a sneeze.

"I talked to your Uncle," Jaina said without preamble, seating herself on an old dusty box full of spare starfighter components.

Jag took a slightly deeper breath than average to control his tension. What if Wedge had said no? Jaina's tone gave away nothing.

"What's the verdict?" Jag asked, more calmly than he felt.

Jaina's face broke into a smile. "It's a go!"

Jag couldn't contain the grin that swept over his features, so instead of hiding his emotion, he scooped Jaina up from her sitting position, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"I'm glad," he said simply, not one for words when it came so close to his heart.

With Jaina's cheek against his, soft-skinned and comfortingly warm, he could feel her smile, "Me too. When do we leave?"

Jag, who had already planned out the trip in his head in the chance of approval, replied swiftly, "Tonight goddess, whenever you're ready."

***

Jaina stood in the deserted special operations hangar, the dim glow of her X-wing cockpit the only source of light in the cavernous bay. Beside her were a few bags of luggage and in her hand was a datapad with some documented cases of psychological warfare. She was reading, though in a skimming, unattentive manner, because her mind was busy keeping track of the minutes speeding by, the time that Jag was late.

She let her eyes drift up again, glancing around the hangar again for any sign of him, and finding none, let out a frustrated sigh and closed the datapad with an irritated smack.

She slipped it into one of the pockets on her flight suit, then stalked determinedly toward the exit of the hangar. She threaded her way through the maze of starfighters and nearly ran into Shawnkyr Nuruodo.

"Lieutenant Nuruodo," said Jaina respectfully, snapping off a salute, "I was just going to check on Jag's whereabouts. Have you seen him?"

Her impersonal red eyes drilled into Jaina, so to Jaina's momentarily accelerated imagination, the Chiss woman seemed almost threateningly. She struggled to keep from fidgeting or looking away from that steely crimson glare.

Shawnkyr shook her head, "He probably had last minute arrangements to make. He'll be here soon, I'm sure."

Jaina nodded, and struggled to quickly think of something to say to prevent an uncomfortable silence.

"I heard Vanguard Squadron was promoted to elite squadron status," Jaina said casually, "Congratulations on the promotion."

Shawnkyr nodded stiffly. "It was well-earned."

Once again Jaina was at a loss for what to say. Shawnkyr was possibly the most difficult person to have a conversation with she'd ever known. A suspicion nagged at her, presenting her with the idea that perhaps it was Shawnkyr's choice to make the situation uncomfortable. Maybe she was sending the message that she didn't like Jaina while at the same time not voicing it aloud so that Jag would remain amiable. The more Jaina thought about ways that Shawnkyr might be silently mocking her, the more frustrated she became, though, aware of the incredible powers of scrutiny in the Chiss, she was careful not to let her emotions show.

A decision was reached inside of Jaina, and she brushed past the Vanguard leader with a respectful bow and a murmur about going to look for Jag. She was storming mad inside and so unfocused that she was almost startled when the door she'd being reaching her hand out to access suddenly opened to reveal Jag. He gave her a nonchalant smile and stepped out.

"Forgive my tardiness, Great One," he said dryly, "Situations arose that needed tending."

Jaina allowed her annoyance to fade into a pleasant smile, "As long as you're here Colonel. We should leave immediately."

Jag nodded once, confidently.

The preparation and departure took place in record time and Jaina was cruising through hyperspace before she knew it. 

It was a moment that gave way to reflection shortly, and Jaina sat in her cockpit, musing over the conversation, or lack thereof, with Shawnkyr.

Did Shawnkyr hate her or like her?

And why did Jaina care so much?


	8. Decisions

****

Chapter Three: Decisions

Jag considered catching up on lost sleep during the flight to the Unknown Regions, but for some strange reason, he couldn't. Perhaps the cockpit was too uncomfortable today, or his caf had been extra strong that morning. Either way, he was wired.

Maybe he was nervous about bringing Jaina to Csilla. After all, her brashness and her bared emotions would cause a stir in his normally routine life, and then there were his parents…

He didn't really get a chance to consider it further, because the fuzzy mottled pattern of hyperspace abruptly changed to star lines and a sharp jerk to his Clawcraft nearly pitched him into the maneuvering controls. His ears were assaulted by blaring alarms and proximity warnings while his tried to regain control of his fighter.

"Shavit!" he cursed as he realized that himself, Jaina and Shawnkyr had all been pulled out of hyperspace by a dovin basal. He rapidly pressed buttons, checking diagnostics to see if any damage had been done to the Clawcraft, and opened a channel to Jaina and Shawnkyr.

"Group, acknowledge," he pressed urgently.

"Here Colonel," Jaina said, her tone determined, angry.

"Repor-"

Shawnkyr's reply was interrupted by her surprised cry and a burst of static.

At the same time, a group of fighters labelled as enemies appeared on the radar, almost on top of Shawnkyr.

"Lieutentant!" Jag cried in fear.

_Please let Shawnkyr be alive_…

"I'm here Colonel!" came her shaken voice.

"Are they Vong?" Jag asked.

"No, Peace Brigade," she answered, her voice becoming calmer again.

An insistent beeping informed Jag he was being targeted.

"Group, split!" Jag ordered and rolled his Clawcraft into a hard barrel roll to port, narrowly escaping the volley of laser cannon fire. The ship chasing him sped through the space where Jag had been. It was an ugly, with a tie-fighter cockpit and X-wing S-foils.

Jag swore again and dove after it. With a little sideways maneuvering, he got directly behind it and tore it apart with well-aimed blasts from his lasers. A quick glance at his screen told him there were more enemies in pursuit behind him and closing fast.

His threw the controls to the left with all his strength and looped the Clawcraft in an excruciating, gravity-crunching turn to face the new opponents.

He got a lock, let a proton torpedo fly, and almost before it hit the intended craft he gained another lock and fired again.

The two uglies flared into incandescent balls of shrapnel, and Jag automatically juked his vessel from side to side to avoid return fire from the remaining two opponents. He had no time for them, there were three on Jaina and two on Shawnkyr.

Battling his the instinct of his heart to immediately aid Jaina, Jag sped towards Shawnkyr who was closer.

"Shawnkyr, what's wrong with you?" he asked gravely, noticing that she was only avoiding fire and not shooting back.

"Colonel, my ship was damaged. I can only maintain maneuvering and shields, not weapons."

Jag gritted his teeth dangerously. "I'll be right there."

The two craft tailing Shawnkyr had better pilots than the clods who'd been after him and both avoided his first shots.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath, "So that's how you want to play it, huh?"

A slight smile curved the corner of his mouth as Jag threw his own fighter into an impossible series of dives and twists. Within seconds, the enemies were eliminated.

His alarms blared again and Jag's elation disappeared as he saw another dozen uglies bearing down overhead.

He was in a rotten position, being right under them and put more on the defense than the offense, but Jag had every confidence in his ability to avoid them. It was the other two members of his group he was worried about.

Jag was taking a deep breath in preparation of some deft catch-me-if-you-can displays when three of his opponents were suddenly extinguished in a brief blaze of light.

"Thought you could use some assistance over here," Jaina's voice greeted smugly, and then in a low voice directed to the Peace Brigade ships, "Pick on _my_ boyfriend why don't you?"

Jag couldn't suppress a grin and used the extra few seconds that shock treatment had given him to take a position along side Jaina.

"I'm almost out of torps Jag," she confided, "I'll can take them out with laser cannons or cover you."

"I'll take them," Jag decided quickly, "Fall in behind."

"Yes _sir_," Jaina said primly, her joking tone evident over the commlink.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work that way.

The cowardly Peace Brigade, when faced with two superior pilots at the same time, veered off all at once towards Shawnkyr.

Jag swore gloriously in fashion with his Correllian heritage for the third time that day.

"Shawnkyr, do you have hyperdrive capability?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"Micro-jump out of this system _now_," Jag ordered, hoping the danger of the Peace Brigade outweighed the risk of the action.

"Yes, sir."

Jag let out a breath of relief at her ship fired its sublight engines and engaged the hyperdrive, disappearing into the blackness.

"What now mortal?" Jaina asked mockingly.

"First we take care of these six while I plot a course away from here. Fight our way out of the dovin basals influence. Then we jump," Jag said.

In his head he added, _And then we get Shawnkyr back._

"As ordered Colonel," Jaina said softly.

Nine large, messy explosions later, Jaina and Jag escaped into the emptiness of space.

***

"Jag?" Jaina asked tentatively when they exited hyperspace into a fairly empty region of space.

There was silence for a moment, then a hiss of static as Jag opened a link.

"Yes, Jaina?" his voice was weary, making her long to be on the ground kiss some life back into him.

"What are we going to do now?" Jaina questioned him.

"Shawnkyr has a transmitter on her ship that should broadcast to me momentarily," Jag explained, "It takes a few minutes."

_Great, waiting_, Jaina moaned in her head. Patience wasn't a virtue she was known for.

Second stretched between them before Jag addressed her again.

"I have the signal," he announced, "On a planet called Gobi, somewhere in proximity a city called Kalari. I'm sending you the coordinates and some information on the planet now."

A series of soft beeps followed a clicking noise came through the communications module and she leaned forward, confidently directing the X-wing. At times like this when space wasn't filled with coralskippers, every movement in the cockpit was full of ease and assuredness. She flew her craft with a natural skill, like the ship was part of her.

"Ready when you are Colonel," she said.

"Affirmative. Jump on my mark. Three, two, one…"

Space dissolved into white light once again.


End file.
